Nick Saban admits to anxiety before away games, when it all fades away

When Alabama comes to town, opposing fans know what’s about to go down. There’s not a road venue in the country that doesn’t go out of its way to make sure the Crimson Tide know they’re in enemy territory. With that said, Saban says that all fades away the moment he and his team come out to the brightest of lights.

In an appearance on SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt, Saban talked about the emotion that he and his players feel right when they’re about to officially enter an away stadium. His answer was surprising as he says he feels a certain level of anxiety about the matchup coming in. However, that all goes away the second that they hit the gridiron.

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“For me, I always feel best about going out and playing the game right when we run on the field. Don’t ask me why,” said Saban. “I got a lot of anxiety, a lot of nervous energy. A lot of thinking about all the bad stuff that can happen in the game. Or maybe something we weren’t prepared for that might happen in the game. But when we get there and we get ready to run out on the field? That all seems to go away.”

For whatever reason, those within the Alabama football program have been more open to discussing this ‘anxiety’ this season than ever before. Will Anderson mentioned it earlier this year when talking about running out inside Neyland Stadium. As much credit as we give the Tide for their success, not many discuss how they handle the unease that they feel that other fanbases create.

Saban says he and his players thrive in it, though, once they actually take the field. He says it goes from apprehension to excitement after they run out to a hostile environment.

“It’s an emotional time. You’re excited about it. That atmosphere is something that is unbelievable, even though most people are against you,” Saban said. “The intensity is there, but the anxiety sort of goes away for me…I don’t know. I can’t explain it any better than that.”

Saban and his team will do exactly that again this weekend at LSU. It’s a place he and the Tide are all too familiar with over the years. With what’s at stake in Saturday’s matchup with the Tigers, those in Baton Rouge will not be giving Alabama a warm welcome come their arrival. Still, once they come out of that tunnel, Saban knows it’s back to business for him and his players.